Analysis Of Artworks Research Articles

Comparing CAM Algorithms for the Identification of Salient Image Features in Iconography Artwork Analysis.

Iconography studies the visual content of artworks by considering the themes portrayed in them and their representation. Computer Vision has been used to identify iconographic subjects in paintings and Convolutional Neural Networks enabled the effective classification of characters in Christian art paintings. However, it still has to be demonstrated if the classification results obtained by CNNs rely on the same iconographic properties that human experts exploit when studying iconography and if the architecture of a classifier trained on whole artwork images can be exploited to support the much harder task of object detection. A suitable approach for exposing the process of classification by neural models relies on Class Activation Maps, which emphasize the areas of an image contributing the most to the classification. This work compares state-of-the-art algorithms (CAM, Grad-CAM, Grad-CAM++, and Smooth Grad-CAM++) in terms of their capacity of identifying the iconographic attributes that determine the classification of characters in Christian art paintings. Quantitative and qualitative analyses show that Grad-CAM, Grad-CAM++, and Smooth Grad-CAM++ have similar performances while CAM has lower efficacy. Smooth Grad-CAM++ isolates multiple disconnected image regions that identify small iconographic symbols well. Grad-CAM produces wider and more contiguous areas that cover large iconographic symbols better. The salient image areas computed by the CAM algorithms have been used to estimate object-level bounding boxes and a quantitative analysis shows that the boxes estimated with Grad-CAM reach 55% average IoU, 61% GT-known localization and 31% mAP. The obtained results are a step towards the computer-aided study of the variations of iconographic elements positioning and mutual relations in artworks and open the way to the automatic creation of bounding boxes for training detectors of iconographic symbols in Christian art images.

Rf measurements and tuning of the 1-m-long 750 MHz radio-frequency quadrupole for artwork analysis

The 750 MHz PIXE-RFQ (radio-frequency quadrupole), developed and built at CERN, provides 2 MeV protons over a length of one meter for proton-induced X-ray emission analysis (PIXE) of cultural heritage artwork. In this paper, we report low-power rf measurements and tuning of the PIXE-RFQ, which have been completed mid-2020. Using a novel algorithm based on direct measurements of the response matrix, field and frequency could be tuned at the same time in only two steps to satisfying accuracy. Additionally, we report measurements of single modules, quality factors, and coupling strength. In all cases, very good agreement between rf measurement and design values was observed.

A COURSE IN HERMENEUTICS OF WORKS OF ART IN HIGHER PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAMMES

The article stems from the problem that has developed in modern higher education programmes such as Humanities, History of Art and Musicology. Learners of these programmes are required to digest an increasingly large amount of information. Yet, the abundance in information, which is not always comparable in quality, obstructs the development of students’ analytical skills. It seems feasible to introduce an innovative course in Hermeneutics of Works of Art into the Humanities, History of Art and Musicology programmes, the course is based on a universal method of artwork analysis elaborated by one of the authors of the article. The article aims to outline the main principles of this course, which is meant to help learners to understand the formation of semantics in various forms of art and to identify the ways of emotional and intellectual impact of artworks. This objective can be achieved by drawing upon a limited number of artworks. The musicological method of analysis is taken as a basis since its technology has been elaborated most thoroughly. This method focuses on the analysis of the formal structure of the work because the form itself contains the most important information about the content. The article shows that the basic structures of European academic music, such as periods, two- and three-part forms, variations, and the sonata form, are universal and derive from the most ancient mythological prototypes. These structures can be easily found in all forms of art and have similar semantic connotations. The proposed method also includes the analysis of polyphony, motivational dramaturgy, and space-time relations in the text, as well as the psychoanalytic approach to content interpretation. The idea of the hermeneutic circle is used to harmonize a general analysis of an artwork and a detailed analysis of its separate elements. The approbation of the proposed study course has demonstrated good results in developing students’ abilities to analyse a work of art.

Terahertz Spectroscopic Analysis of the Vermilion Pigment in Free-Standing and Polyethylene-Mixed Forms.

Terahertz spectroscopy can be utilized as an effective nondestructive identification tool for the study of artist’s pigments. Consequently, extensive measurements have been conducted on representative pigment species, and a few terahertz spectral databases have been constructed. However, the reported spectra were often acquired from pigment samples mixed with polyethylene at room temperature with low resolution, which often led to low-quality spectra with unresolved overlapping lines further broadened due to thermal effects. Here, we present our study of vermilion (HgS, mercury sulfide) as an illustration of how we can overcome such difficulties by studying free-standing oil-paint samples at room temperature and then by performing low-temperature measurements on polyethylene-mixed samples to minimize line broadening due to thermal effects. Our results identify clearly resolved absorption peaks due to lattice vibrations of vermilion at 40.4, 44.5, and 89.9 cm–1 at 2 K. The temperature dependence of the peak shift and line broadening reveals anharmonic characteristics of these lattice vibrational modes. Our approach will definitely suggest new ways to improve and enhance existing terahertz spectral databases of ancient and modern pigments toward actual analysis, diagnosis, and conservation of heritage artworks.

Genderlessness in the Status, Role and Artworks of Kibbutz Women Artists

This article aims to analyze the social status, role and artworks of women artists in a society which defined itself as egalitarian and utopian, through the case study of women artists on Israeli kibbutz. My argument is that the social status, role and artworks of women artists on the kibbutz express genderlessness, as defined by Erik Olin Wright (2011). A social-historic analysis of the status and role of kibbutz women artists, and an artistic analysis of artworks by Idit Levavi Gabai, Marion Fuchs and Tzila Liss, will demonstrate how the kibbutz, at least from the aspect of its artists, could be addressed and used as an example of a genderless society.

Development of Skills for Analysis of Artwork in Children of Preschool and Primary School Age

The article updates the problem of developing the skills of analyzing a work of art in children of preschool and primary school age. The article defines the significance of the analysis of works of fiction in solving the problems of introducing children to book culture, forming interest in reading children’s literature. The solution of the indicated problems is possible when teachers of preschool and primary general education have methodological competence, manifested in knowledge of the features of works of folklore and fiction, in the ability to analyze them. In order to identify the formation of methodological competence, teachers of preschool educational organizations and secondary schools were offered questionnaires, the results of the questionnaire are presented in the article. It was revealed that teachers realize the importance of analyzing works of art, know the methods and techniques of analyzing works, explaining words unfamiliar to children, are able to formulate questions that reveal an understanding of the content of the work, etc. However, it is not always correct to determine at what stage of acquaintance with an art work it is appropriate to ask questions of a different nature, focused on a deep analysis of the work. The analysis of teacher questionnaires and the direct monitoring of the educational activities of children and teachers in preschool educational organizations and schools indicate the need for systematic and systematic work to increase the methodological competence of primary school teachers and teachers in the field of analysis of works of art. Keywords: analysis of artistic work, children of preschool and primary school age, methodological competence, methods and techniques of analysis of artistic work, federal state educational standard of preschool education, federal state educational standard of primary general education

Inclusive Artmaking in High School Visual Arts Classes

In this article, I examine inclusion, disability, image making, and representation through case studies in a high school setting. K–12 school settings often focus on student deficits; however, the theories of disability studies provide a critical model for understanding language, disability, and enabling structures that move away from deficit models. Grounded in a disability studies framework, I focus this article on students’ capabilities to develop artmaking skills and the value of diverse image making. Although universal theories of artistic development exist, the literature review suggests that student artistic development varies. Through case studies, I examine inclusion for students with emotional disabilities using artwork, interviews, and observational data. I examine student artwork in terms of individual development of artmaking skills as measured quantitatively by a rubric. A qualitative analysis of student artwork and interviews reveals students’ inclusion as an opportunity to become members of a community and create work that expresses individual viewpoints.

The Characteristics of Affective Turn in Media Arts through Relational Aesthetics -Centered on the Digital Works of TeamLab-

This study will attempt to analyze media art and discuss its main characteristics by using the concept based on Relational Aesthetics 'Affective Turn' as a basis of the theory. In addition, this study has some theoretical and practical implications, both in terms of the research and analysis of artworks and the structure development of art theories and aesthetics. To conduct the research, I have gone through a literature review on previous studies related to media art and Relational Aesthetics. Then, I have conducted a case study on the media art of TeamLab. This study shows that from the perspective of Relational Aesthetics, media art shows unique characteristics such as borderless and shareability. Moreover, it can allow the audience to actually ‘feel’ the relationship and integration between various objects. I hopethat this research could be used as a solid basis for future research and helpstrengthen the interaction between modern art and the public.

Active Thermography for Non-invasive Inspection of an Artwork on Poplar Panel: Novel Approach Using Principal Component Thermography and Absolute Thermal Contrast

The conservation of the works of art represent a topic of global interest. The development of effective tools based on advanced technology for analysing and monitoring their health-state is essential to assuring their preservation. In fact, detecting and preventing the formation of defective areas or assessing for an accurate pre-restoration analysis are the main objectives of non-destructive inspection. Active thermography is a well-known non-invasive imaging technique and reliable tool for providing a fast and low-cost analysis of a work of art. In this study we combine the potential of Principal Component Thermography and of Absolute Thermal Contrast to analyse thermal images acquired in-situ on a poplar panel painting representing an original artwork dating in the end of XVI century. We first optimized the thermal stimulation parameters in the laboratory using special phantom samples. These samples were specially made by reproducing in high fidelity the structural properties and materials of the artwork in order to perform effectively the preliminary tests. Then we moved the equipment in-situ by performing the non-destructive inspection directly on the real artwork. We have developed a specific experimental protocol that combines active thermography with two specific and appropriate image processing modalities that allowed us the effective detection of various types of defects in the painting layer. We report a complete analysis and deep discussion concerning the detection and characterization of the defects. Results show that our diagnostic protocol is a powerful tool in assessing the pre-restoration health-state and suitable for in situ analysis of wood artworks.

Apresentação - Arte abstrata no Brasil

Apresentamos a seguir alguns elementos que orientaram tanto a formulação da chamada para este dossiê sobre arte abstrata no Brasil, quanto nossas primeiras reflexões sobre os artigos dos autores convidados e daqueles selecionados por via da chamada aberta. Nosso principal objetivo era o de ter um conjunto de artigos que trouxessem pesquisas e abordagens originais, enfocando aspectos ainda não tratados pela historiografia no assunto. Neste sentido, as contribuições trouxeram à luz análises de obras e artistas mulheres ainda por serem devidamente consideradas, bem como casos inéditos fora do eixo Rio-São Paulo e na abordagem da abstração lírica no país – temas ainda largamente negligenciados pela historiografia consolidada.

Introduction. Abstract art in Brazil

In this introduction, we present some of the elements that guided both the formulation of the concepts of this dossier on abstract art in Brazil and our first reflections on the articles by invited authors and those submitted to the open call. Our main aim was to gather a collection of articles that would bring original research and approaches, focusing on aspects yet to be dealt with in the existing scholarship. The contributions brought to light analysis of artworks and women artists yet to be duly considered, as well as unpublished case studies focused outside the artistic milieu of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo and on lyrical abstraction in the country – topics still largely neglected by the consolidated historiography.

MASCULINE BALLET AS AN EXAMPLE OF A MODERN BALLET ART

Masculine ballet as an example of a modern ballet art In the given article the queStion of masculine ballet art craft through the gender modification in brief text presentation is settled, and therefore analysis of the search of masculine character depiction of art direction is done. The analysis of ballet art works are done where the masculine part is inseparable part of big role of cognominal character. There were provided the inveStigation of the men of art – the actors – and their undefeated way to creating new ballet characters of woman’s prototype. Also the prominent Ukrainian ballet Stage figures are inveStigated who were contributing to the diapason of Ukrainian theater by their masculine part. The formulation of the article objectives: to inveStigate the regularities and Striving of the masculine hero on the European and Ukrainian Stages, to reach the aim of the enrichment by his uniqueness and generativity up to conStant criteria of self-knowledge and self-perfection through the perception of the audience analytics. To present the examples of Ukrainian ballet artiSts, their figurativе aspect and changes laid by them into the hiStorical qualifications of conStruction of the lines of the rising masculine notable personalities. Summaries. Ukrainian and European ballet space combines the gender intereSts of Structure of the interpretation and subStitution in characters of expression of that or another role. For years the Ukrainian dancers have been enriching the Ukrainian Stage, the ones whose unbelievable perception and transmission of artiStic bright energy color were fulfilling and indulging the theater Stage. Also in the rhythm of perception of modern performances there is a quite certain aspect for underStanding that gender safety “belts” concerning “the non-fitting” of the Feminine vs Masculine (and inStead) have no more importance of attention drawing from the side of theater critics. The norms of the confusion of certain paraphernalia in the coStumes, role staging and diversification in representing the individuality as a main hero in certain performance give the audience the opportunity to investigate the feminine and masculine characters in the Pleyada of modern performances and the way for avant-garde decisions.

Communication and Messages in Mexican Electronic Art

Artists try to communicate precise ideas or concepts about certain social or political problems in order to change their context and surroundings. In this research the focus is on examples of Mexican Electronic artworks which specifically generate stages of communication. The methods applied to study these artifacts were observation, interview and analysis of certain art works and then selectively comparing different artists and their artistic works to understand, with the help of an adequate qualitative research approach, as to how the art communicated with human viewers. We concluded that communication of an abstract image could lead to different meanings. Interpretation depends on the cultural context of the viewer, age and nationality, among other important factors. Nonetheless all Mexican electronic artists studied in this research have a positive message for society, including justice and the preservation of environment and several related inspiring ideas.

“La Revue Blanche”: The History of Illustrating

The article reconstructs the illustrating history of “La Revue Blanche”, the leading French literary and artistic magazine of the fin de siècle epoch. Leaving out the analysis of literary content, the authors considers the petite revue through the prism of its most significant artistic achievements. In order to achieve this goal, a rather wide range of graphic artists who collaborated with “La Revue Blanche” at one time or another is outlined, and the conditional genre ranking of engravings published and distributed with the help of the journal is carried out. Based on the data obtained, a periodization of the short history of “La Revue Blanche” illustrating is proposed. The article attaches great importance to the stylistic and iconographic analysis of individual artworks. In the case of the ones by Vuillard, Roussel, and Bonnard, it is possible to put forward new semantic interpretations and emphasize the confessional nature of the prints created by the masters for the design of the journal’s frontispiece. In the article significant attention is given to the history of introducing the practice of publishing graphic literary portraits by Vallotton in “La Revue Blanche”, which at some point are forced to take on the utilitarian function of vignettes. Equally important is the review of the publication history of the independent illustrated supplement “NIB”, which, as is well known, has only had three issues. The authors see in “NIB”, at the same time, an artistic reincarnation of fumiste chatnoiresque satire, clearly close to Toulouse-Lautrec, Valloton and Bonnard, and a graphic revealing of the internal philosophical and aesthetic conflict that existed within the Nabis art group. In addition, the authors also describe the features of the Nathanson brothers’ publishing activity, emphasizing the direct dependence of the content of published products on the owners’ tastes.

Духовность в аспекте искусства

The article is focused on spirituality as a supernatural phenomenon actualized by generation of meaning. While solving within the framework of a poly-paradigm approach the question regarding the dual character of language, the authors postulate the thought that in the case of an individual informational system as a self-organizing natural mechanism language will appear in the guise of a product of activity, being a means of communication. On the other hand, in the case of an individual conceptual system actualized by means of organization of an informational system, language presents in itself a form of activity, demonstrating itself as a means of thinking. At the same time, in both cases a special role is given to emotiveness – a linguistic category which stipulates the motivation of meaning and form. When turning to visual poetry, the authors demonstrate the fundamental incongruity of the analysis of an art work examined from the position of a product of activity and the analysis of the selfsame art work as activity (activity of thought). While the focus at the ready product provides the authorial utterance with the status of a monologue (the communicative impact), the focus on activity initiates the tenability of the harmonizing dialogue (communicative interaction) as an attempt to conciliate the contradictions arising between the author and the reader. The hypothesis is voiced: analogously to the way that nonsense demonstrates itself as the marker of soullessness, meaning generation correlates with the spirit. Pushing off from the dual nature of the human being marked by the biological (material) and social (spiritual) dimensions, the authors carry out the attempt of exegetics of such symbols of the Old and the New Testaments as the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, the Cross and the triunity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Keywords: language as a system, emotive qualities, biological (material) and social (spiritual) dimensions of the human being.

Analysis of New Media Art Works Related to Privacy Leaks: Focused on the 〈Secret〉

Analysis of New Media Art Works Related to Privacy Leaks: Focused on the 〈Secret〉

Bio-art as Post-humanism: Centering on the Analysis of Artworks in <DAEJEON Biennale 2018: BIO>

Bio-art as Post-humanism: Centering on the Analysis of Artworks in <DAEJEON Biennale 2018: BIO>

Forensic Traceological Analysis of Works of Visual Arts

The article discusses the fundamentals of traceological forensic analysis of visual artworks within both the framework of forensic traceological examination and comprehensive forensic research with the participation of expert-traceologists. Works of art are investigated to identify them, diagnose their condition, and establish the origin of various negative changes. Forensic traceology methods can play an essential role in the controversial attributions of paintings, drawings, and sculptures. The necessity and feasibility of developing a modern forensic traceological research methodology of fine artworks are substantiated.

Naming the Unknown, Witnessing the Unseen: Mediterranean Ecocriticism and Modes of Representing Migrant Others

In continuity with the theoretical explorations of Mediterranean Ecocriticism, this essay deals with modes of representation of "migrant others." Often de-personified and reduced to statistical data, these “invisible” migrants are in fact parts of a larger ecology, where the fates of humans and nonhumans are interlaced, prompting deep ethical questions. Such invisibility is challenged by the many artists, writers, filmmakers, and thinkers that bring the migrant question to the center stage of their work, suggesting that the only response to the dehumanization of migrants is the humanization of nonhumans caught in the same predicaments of borders and violence. The essay includes an analysis of Jason deCaires Taylor's submarine artworks and of the documentary Asmat, "Names," by director Dagmawi Yimer.

Painting against Empire: Béla Uitz and the Birth and Fate of Internationalist Socialist Realism

This manuscript describes the significance of the Hungarian‐Soviet artist Béla Uitz's contribution to the definition of Socialist Realism through the development of a style of anti‐imperialist painting based on national form that I call Internationalist Socialist Realism. Relying on previously unpublished archival documents, articles from the Soviet press, and analyses of artworks themselves, the manuscript shows specifically how Uitz developed his internationalist style through transnational encounters with leftist activists in Paris and avant‐garde artists in Soviet Ukraine. It also shows how the artist used his position as a policy maker in the Soviet cultural administration to create a platform for the exploration of the role of national form in Soviet art known as the International Bureau of Revolutionary Artists (MBRKh) and how he used that platform to ensure that Internationalist Socialist Realism became a key component of the official style of visual representation in the early 1930s. The manuscript further demonstrates that while the Soviet state's turn to Russocentrism and Slavocentrism in the late 1930s denuded Internationalist Socialist Realism of many of its radically collectivist, anti‐imperial elements, the cultural apparatus accepted Uitz's core idea that the tactile connection between the human body and the affective materiality of national forms could help catalyze political change and establish connections between different peoples. The manuscript shows that changes in representations of national form in Socialist Realism over time can reveal valuable new insight into the politics of Soviet culture, both during and beyond Stalinism.